Round 14 report by Andrew Demack
Brisbane Strikers v Northern Spirit

After more than two hours of football in which the Brisbane Strikers
could not score a goal to save themselves, their attack suddenly came good
with a three-goal burst in the second half against Northern Spirit at
Perry Park tonight.

Brisbaneıs second 3-1 win over Northern Spirit extends their unbeaten run
at home this season to seven games, and takes them to fourth place at the
moment, level on 22 points with Perth Glory and only one point off the
lead not a position many pundits predicted at the start of the season.

The Strikers started tonightıs game with more than a little of a hangover
from Wednesdayıs night poor display against the Football Kingz. Some of
the more anxious local supporters were critical of their team in the first
half, in which they had most of the possession but created very few
chances.

Northern Spirit played the away-team role, with a defensive 4-4-2
formation, often stringing six players across the back line. Brisbane
continued in the 3-4-3 that they finished with against the Kingz. Morley,
McLaren and Rose were the front three. The extra man in attack meant
midfield pairing Louis Brain and Peter Grierson had a lot of ground to
cover in the center of the park, but Spirit didnıt have the grunt in the
middle of the park to take advantage of their numerical superiority, and
Brisbane was on top in the midfield for most of the game.

Brisbaneıs Louis Brain had the first real chance of the match in the 10th
minute, forcing a good save from Paul Henderson with his sharp left-foot
volley from the edge of the area.

But only a minute later, Northern Spirit won a corner after a mix-up
between Dodd and Higgins. From follow-up play for the corner, Spiritıs
Brad Groves threw himself bravely at a cross and sent a powerful header
just over the bar. The effort left him lying injured on the ground in the
penalty box, and it was the last action Grove saw for the night. Adam
Kwasnik replaced him.

Brisbane also made an early substitution, replacing defender Adam Webber,
who picked up a knock, with striker Royce Brownlie. Stuart McLaren
retreated to the right side of defensive trio, which is surely his best
position anyway.

Brisbane continued to have much more of the ball, but Spirit defended in
numbers. The Strikers tried going around them, with wide men Stefanutto
and Fitzsimmons, but with very little success. They tried to pass it
through the Spirit defence, with Grierson, Brownlie and Morley playing
short passes, but Watts and Spencer were equal to the task.

The Strikers will be eager for Matt McKayıs return from national under-20
team duties to aid their midfield creativity.

The score at half time was 0-0, with the best chance of the half falling
to big Northern Spirit defender Julian Watts, who drifted forward in the
34th minute to get his head on a far-post cross and direct it across the
face of goal, missing the target by mere inches.

The only other talking point from the first half was the bewildering
refereeing display from Angelo Nardi, who yellow-carded Peter Grierson and
Royce Brownlie in a two-minute spell for seemingly minor offences.

Straight after the break, Northern Spirit got their reward for their
steady first-half performance. Seizing on some hesitation in the Strikers
defence, Vuko Tomasevic won the ball on the left wing. He got the ball
onto his right foot to whip in the cross, and Adam Kwasnik was the
quickest to react, beating Brisbaneıs defence to the header and steering
it past Higgins. It was the 46th minute, the visitors were in front, and
the home team hadnıt really looked like scoring.

The 2003 Brisbane Strikers are full of surprises, however. They lifted
intensity, and once again were dominant in midfield. The creative heart of
this team is the combination of deep-lying midfielder Peter Grierson and
ball-playing central defender Karl Dodd. Between the two of them they were
guiding Brisbane around the park with no little style and skill. Still the
Spirit defence held firm, however.

Until the 57th minute anyway, when Brisbane levelled the scores with a
goal just like Spiritıs opener. Louis Brain was the provider, and
spring-heeled Luke Morley outjumped the Spirit defence and sent a powerful
header past Henderson. 1-1.

The game opened up a lot after that, and Brisbane always seemed to have
more in the tank than a tiring Northern Spirit. Shane Stefanutto came into
his own, stretching the Spirit defence and creating several crossing
opportunities. In the 65th minute Luke Morley again tested Henderson with
a header, which the keeper saved at the second grab.

But with the game evenly poised, Spirit still had a few shots to fire.
Dylan McAllister got clean through but Scott Higgins made a great save.
Seconds later he pulled off a second save from Steven Baveasıs shot.

With only 10 minutes left, it looked as though Northern Spirit had done
enough to go home with a draw and a valuable away point away. But Shane
Stefanutto had other ideas, finally teeing up Royce Brownlie with a
perfect cross. Brownlie nodded it home to give the Strikers the lead.

With their tails up and Spirit fading, a third goal was always a good
chance. Dave Pilic, who came on the 70th minute for Louis Brain, was the
scorer. Luke Morley teased the defence and slid a pass square. Hilton let
it run for Pilic, who beat Tomasevic and strode into the area, before
firing a low shot past Henderson.

All the tension of the Strikersı bad patch in front of goal was gone, and
the last few minutes were party-time for home fans and home team alike.
With difficult away trips to Olympic and Perth in the next two weeks, the
Strikers will need to be in top form to maintain their position on the NSL
ladder. The good news is that they are.